


Don't Let Go

by bookaddict_99



Series: Don't Let Go [1]
Category: Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Androids, Angst, Apocalypse, Character Death, F/M, Fluff, Free Will, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Graphic Violence, Obsessive Behavior, Rebellion, Robot/Human Relationships, Sad Ending, Three Laws of Robotics, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:09:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23531368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookaddict_99/pseuds/bookaddict_99
Summary: Conner never expected to meet the enigma that is Megan. With hair the color of the sun and eyes brighter than the stars he finds himself becoming attached. Many people spoke of destiny and fate. Conner is just glad one of them decided to bless him with her. Based loosely on the comic “Don’t Let Go” by STRANGELYKATIE.
Relationships: Kon-El | Conner Kent/M'gann M'orzz
Series: Don't Let Go [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972648
Kudos: 5





	1. Year 3

**Author's Note:**

> THINGS TO KNOW:  
> Year 1 (1-365)  
> Year 2 (366-730)  
> Year 3 (731-1095)  
> Year 4 (1096-1460)  
> Year 5 (1461-1825)  
> Year 6 (1826-2190)  
> Year 7 (2191-2555)  
> Year 8 (2556-2920)  
> Year 9 (2921-3285)

###  DAY 732

“My name’s Megan,” she had said in the midst of fear and blood. The shocks outside illuminating her smile as it hid behind her hair. Long tendrils the color of his cheeks and beating of her heart.

“Come on,” she had yelled above the sky falling around them. “I know a place we can lay low.”

And they’d gone underground. Where shadows kept them company and strange smells followed them. Where the paleness of his skin wasn’t questioned and the silence made him unfocused.

Where the sounds of other people moving in the background mingled with the cracks of the pipes above him. The noise becoming only a buzzing sound because she had only smiled. Fixing their little corner where they would spend the night, ignoring the thunder that sounded above them.

She, a stranger who had opened a spot for him. Conner wasn’t liable to forget that. 

###  DAY 750

When they leave the bunker Megan invites him into her home. She doesn’t mention his bare feet or his apparent lack of everything. No name. No voice. He is the definition of stranger. But she only smiles at him. That toothy grin he’s sure she’s carried since little and never grew out of.

She even offers to buy him shoes. All he is capable of is to stand still. Accepting the warmth and kindness of a girl not yet hurt by war.

###  DAY 814

Megan is still shaking by the time they leave the bunker. She laughs and tells jokes. She should be used to it by now she says. But her claustrophobia grips her until all she is capable of is crying and air becomes a luxury. It’s during one of those rants where he wishes she could read his mind.  _ No one should be used to this. _ He wants to say. _ No one should be used to war. _

###  DAY 876

“What’s your name?” she asked several days later as they stood around her rotting oven heating a can of chicken soup. He frowned, shrugging his shoulders and looking away.

“Well I guess we’ll just have to come up with a name for you.” And her smile had been like the sun. A blinding force that warmed him and left him bereft for more.

With soot and bruises covering her face she continued. Reading names from her memory until he nodded at one. He made sure not to miss the beaming smile she sent his way.

So they lived. What little time was given in the safety of the shaking apartment they enjoyed it. Running for shelter when needed and reading books. They spent their nights watching their hand-drawn stars and connecting constellations. Sitting by their crumbling building heating their various cans they found an unorthodox happiness. It was their slice of Heaven.

###  DAY 930

“Hi, my name’s Zatanna,” the girl said sitting close to Megan, a smile present on her face. “I noticed you guys are all alone in the corner and I was just wondering if you wanted to stay with me.”

“Oh!” Megan had answered surprised. They were back in the bunker. The sirens finally quiet only to be replaced with the booming sound on top of them. “No, it’s fine really. I wouldn’t want to bother you. I’m sure you feel uncomfortable enough with this situation, I mean, to add two strangers with you would be too much. “

“It’s fine really, my dad is with me and well, It’s always nice to help someone in need.”

“It’s fine, really. We’re fine. Right Conner?” she said, turning to him a soothing smile on her face.

The girl Zatanna turned to face him. Words forming before a cold mask shut them down. She knew. The anger in her eyes was clear but so were the nail marks pressing into her skin as she stared at him.

“You know what, it’s fine,” she said standing up and throwing a quick smile at Megan. “If you need anything let me know.”

###  DAY 960

“It’s strange not to yell,” she had screamed. A blush spreading from her cheeks and reaching her fingertips. He had just nodded. Too focused on the color red and how it spread through her body. They’d been stuck underground for a month and tempers were running thin.

“I hope my family is safe,” she said, voice still louder than normal. “I’m not from here you see, only came for a scholarship. I hope they survived the attacks.” He only stared at her. A question burning beneath his gaze as she moved around their corner. Picking up small nick nacks they’d managed to accumulate during their time here.

“And you? Do you have any family?” But the question remained unanswered. Silence filling the air around them until she smiled, and picked up the conversation talking mindless chatter. 

###  DAY 1025

By the time they reach the military base Conner is sure his legs are going to fall off. A real possibility with all the walking they’d been doing. Megan looks in an even worse shape than he is but she’s smiling. Talking with the kids that seem to flock to her. 

The city they had come from had been lost. Destroyed by the continuous bombings. The military had finally managed to find a shelter for them but it came too late for many of them. That much is obvious by their small crowd that used to live in a bustling city.

“How many do you think died?” Megan asks. Her voice strangely somber from the perky tone he is so familiar with. He shrugs his shoulders, staring at the ground as a response. “You’re right,” she continues, “I shouldn’t talk about such things. I’m glad we’re alive.”

###  DAY 1061

They receive news that the city Megan was from is destroyed. She cries for days. Mourning for the fate that met her family and the certainty that she'll never know if any of them survived. Conner doesn't see her the next two days.


	2. Year 4

###  DAY 1139

“It’s ok if you don’t want to talk,” she whispered once. They had sneaked outside for a couple of seconds. Not willing to risk their safety for long now the alarms were no longer working. No sirens equaled no warning, and no warning equaled death.

“I know some people go through traumatic circumstances and they don’t want to talk afterwards. I just-I guess what I-Oh gosh could I be any worse at this? What I’m trying to say is, you don’t have to speak if you don’t want to. I’ll be here to fill the silence. Alright?”

They continued gazing at the stars, their silence coming to an end once Megan remembered a joke her cousin had told her once.

###  DAY 1214

Megan cut her hair today. He is conscious of the fact as he stares at the red strands shoved into their trash bag. He looks at it in sadness. A longing he didn't know was present until it's there.

He wants to get mad at her. Demand answers to the now boyish cut that frames her face. But he only has to look into her eyes before he knows the answer.

Megan is mourning. And cutting her hair is the only thing she can do.

###  DAY 1282

Their base is overrun. People are screaming and pushing to get out but he only wants to go deeper. Megan is still at the base. Megan is in their tent.  _ Megan is in danger. _ He pushes through the mass of bodies threatening to carry him. Pushing a lady out of the way he growls and huffs advancing slowly with the current.

The gunshots are closer now and he sees people falling next to him. The noise loud and distracting making the weak part of him want to flee.  _ But Megan is in there. Megan is in the tent.  _ He falls to the ground. His ears are ringing and a burning feeling blossoms from his left shoulder. 

He pushes forwards not looking at the redness that now coats his hands nor the area of pain. The gunshots drown any thoughts he may have. They are deafining now and he has to duck multiple times to avoid turning into cheese. Their tent is in front of him. He can see a fire that has started in the southwest sector and is heading their way but panic is there stopping him from moving forwards. What if she’s dead? What if Megan left with the crowd? What if he doesn’t see her again?

But suddenly a shot rings out. This one clearer than should be possible.  _ And it’s coming from the tent. _ He’s inside before he even processes he’s moved only to be stopped by a body. It’s fingers still twitching. Eyes empty. A bullet hole in the forehead.  _ Brown hair.  _

Her form is huddled against the corner. Eyes wide and tear filled as she clutches a gun between her shaking hands. The android laying dead between them.

“I didn’t...I didn’t mean-I didn’t…” she blubbers and Conner is holding her to him before he can crumble at the sudden realization that she’s alive. That she’s here, with him. Megan is fine.

###  DAY 1239

“It’s pretty sometimes,” she continued talking as they searched for a new hideout. Filling the silence with the words that seemed to fly right out her mouth. And it was. Buildings half standing amongst the remains of the war fought around them. It almost resembled a painting.

It was very staggering to see the comparison of life and death so clear before his eyes. To see the thin line diving it become a blurred gash in the chaos that ran in what was now life.

People walked amongst the rubble. Small kids dashing jumping across grounded rooftops while their mothers searched through the rubble. He can see a couple of teenagers huddled in a corner. Their body language screams danger and makes him want to grab Megan and take her far from here to the safety of the earth.

But the kids didn’t glance their way. They took turns, using pipes and other pieces of rubble to take out their anger on the human figure between them.

“Androids don’t deserve this,” she sighed, and her eyes spoke of a foreign language he had yet been privileged enough to learn.

###  DAY 1356

The first time they meet Artemis Crock she is a blur of blonde in the middle of a gun fight. They are huddled underneath a crumbled wall. Covering their heads from the bullets that slowly tear into the school they had found refuge on when her group bursts through the door.

“Got some humans here!” a voice yells before Megan’s warmth is pulled away from him and a hand jerks him backwards as holes appear in the spot they had occupied. 

The noise and lights continue for a couple more seconds before silence falls upon them. He can faintly hear the painting of the people around him but he only has eyes for Megan. Her small frame hidden under the build of a boy similar to him.

“Status report Tuppence!” the voice behind him shouts.

“They’re retreating. We lost Eric in the fight and Crystal is injured. Everyone else is accounted for,” a voice shouts from the hallway. 

He can feel his vision blur with the peak of stress. His body was not made for these types of situations. But he does his best to focus on the blur that he can recognize as Megan.

“Hey, listen girl this area isn’t safe. Go south near Pyra’s grocery shop, a group of survivors are taking refuge there and should be able to help you.”

“Artemis, we have to move,” a new voice calls. “Jade radioed in. She spotted a group of them near the west sector. They’re breaking into a bunker,” a pale man says stepping into the room.

He only has a chance to glance his way before he knows. And the man before him does too. They stare at each other, both frozen with the knowledge that lays before them before he turns away from him.

It’s only after they’re huddled in Pyra’s shop that Megan tells him what happened. Apparently the group that saved them was part of the military. A group of graduates that had been training in Fort Justice near them. Megan gushes the whole time about the girl Artemis, but he only asks about her companion, Cameron. He wonders if he’s broken.

###  DAY 1362

Pyra’s grocery shop was both a blessing and a curse. The small cramped shop had enough food to feed a whole country, but sadly not enough space. It’s only after taking a few essential items that they part ways. Exchanging goodbyes and promises he’s not sure they’ll be able to keep.

“What do you think they were before all of this started?” she asks. “Maybe some of them were teachers, doctors, lawyers, oh God. They probably lost people in all of this.”

And he stares at her. Willing his mouth to work in ways he knows it can’t. Willing to ask a question he wants no answer to.  _ Who did you lose? _

###  DAY 1397

Megan shrieks with joy. They had found a package of skittles in the remains of a grocery store. Hidden under rumble he had accidently shifted. She is jumping and screeching. He barely has enough time to shush her before she’s launching herself at him and kissing his cheek.

His cheeks remain red the rest of the night. And he’s thankful for the cover the night time brings.

###  DAY 1423 

They walk across the street from Pyra’s shop, or what’s left of it. The gaping hole of what used to be there leaving behind a frown on Megan’s face every time they walk by. He wishes to change the routine if only to at least calm the worry he knows she carries.

They don’t talk the remainder of the trip.

###  DAY 1441

“I want to go see the ocean,” she said on one of their rare quiet nights. “My family comes from the desert and we used to say we would go to the beach but, I guess it just never happened. Can you believe it?” She asked laughing. “I’m a twenty-three year old woman who’s never been to the coast. Pathetic.”

But Conner ignored her, reaching into the pile of books they had collected before finding the right page and tearing it. With jerky movements he handed her the page not making eye contact.

“Yea,” she said breathlessly. “A place like that.”

The sound of passing pages was the only sound heard. Megan too engrossed with the picture to notice that he wasn’t reading and instead only had eyes for her. 

“Thank you.”

###  DAY 1460

It’s New years eve and less and less people litter the place they have learned is called sector 35. He knows soon it’ll be a desolate place.

Food is a luxury now and the threats are getting closer. He can hear gunshots in the distance and wonders briefly if it’s Artemis and her crew. Is Cameron with them? Does Artemis know about him? But a quick glance at Megan erases those worries from his head and brings forth new ones. He can feel his fingers brushing against her as they walk.


	3. Year 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Year 1 (1-365)   
> Year 2 (366-730)  
> Year 3 (731-1095)  
> Year 4 (1096-1460)  
> Year 5 (1461-1825)  
> Year 6 (1826-2190)  
> Year 7 (2191-2555)  
> Year 8 (2556-2920)  
> Year 9 (2921-3285)

###  DAY 1476

“God I haven't shaved in so long,” Megan moans.

Conner wishes he could laugh. If only to convey the ridiculousness of her statement in the crazy world they're living.

“I'm serious!” Megan screams, “I look like a ginger chimp!”

###  DAY 1503

They get caught in the middle of a raid. The screaming of people around them shaking them from the shock as they’re pulled with the crowd. Landing in an unknown bunker. He can hear the distant dropping of bombs landing on top of them. The building shaking as screams ring out. He glances at the girl huddled next to him and closes his eyes.

###  DAY 1566

Megan has a habit of snoring in her sleep. She makes little noises of discomfort and constantly wakes him up. She’s not cute by any means. Her snores being so loud he wonders how they haven’t found them yet. But there are moments like these. Moments like today where he enjoys this too much.

“Mmmm, Conner... butt.”

He spends the rest of the night trying to ignore Megan’s comments and blushing at the sound of her voice.

###  DAY 1625

The building they’re bunkering in is small and similar to the one he met Megan in. Green walls and exposed pipes make decoration pieces and Megan claustrophobic. He can tell by the shaking of her shoulders despite the grins she throws his way that she is nervous. 

A black man is with her the first time she has a panic attack. His voice is calm and soothing making even Conner feel at ease. He finds out his name is Kaldur. A young man in charge of the group they had been swallowed up by. He offers them a spot in the group but Megan only promises to think about it before he’s gone checking on the crowd.

###  DAY 1639 

On the ninth day they find the tunnel exit has caved in. Conner expects panic and hysteria from the group around him but Kaldur’s voice is a drug lulling them all into a calm from which they get organized. It takes them five days to reach the top and when they do they realize they’re not alone.

Wally West is only twenty-four years old but he leads a team of people determined to search amongst the rubble and fight for survivors. He and his team had been working on freeing caved in bunkers, theirs amongst the list.

The group is organized and Conner glances at the ginger man, his beard making him seem years older than he actually is.

“I’m Kaldur, thanks for helping us escape.”

“Wally West, and it’s no trouble. I noticed you got a lot of people with you. Do you have a place to take them?”

“No, we got separated from our group. We’re just trying to find them.” Kaldur continues.

“Head north. There’s a camp being opened up by one of my friends. They’re taking in refugees at the moment, your group might be there already.”

“Thank you friend,” Kaldur responds before his footsteps lead him to a short haired girl and black haired guy who start checking on the group.

“What about the military? I thought they were winning in this area?” Megan asks confused and Conner can’t help but pay attention because last he heard they were close to being safe.

West only scoffs, a groan pulling at his lips as he stares at the group of people surrounding them. “Thing’s gone to shit,” he murmurs. “We’re all stuck in this hellhole now. They cut communication lines between the military. No way to get outside information which also means the military can’t coordinate attacks. It’s every man for themselves.”

Conner can see the lines of stress in the man’s features, but there’s a resolute standing in his shoulders that gives him what he distantly categorizes as hope. 

“You guys take care of yourselves alright?” he says moving towards a group of people needing help.

###  DAY 1721

Megan won’t let go of the gun. He sees her grip it in the night when she thinks he’s sleeping. Sees her fingers reaching for it when they hear footsteps. He mourns for the innocent girl he met all those months ago. The one untouched by war. But just because Megan is ready to defend herself doesn’t mean she turns sharp. In fact, the presence of war only seems to soften her. Her kindness extending to those strangers they’d met in their travels. He wonders when her hands will stop shaking.

###  DAY 1784

They see Artemis by accident. They’re on their way to the new refugee camp when they stumble upon her group. It’s smaller than he remembers but that does not make them less dangerous by any means.

They carry more weapons than should be possible but all are laughing. He even sees Artemis smile when she sees them.

“Megan! Right?” she asks.

“I’m surprised you remember. Again, thanks for saving us.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m guessing you guys are heading to the refugee center.” Artemis’ statement is innocent but Conner can tell by her body language it's anything but. “I know it’s tough to ask, but I have a request for you guys,” she says looking at him more than he feels comfortable.

“What my sister is trying to say,” a voice pipes up, “is that I need to go to the refugee center and she wants you guys to accompany me.”

The woman standing behind Artemis is obviously her sister and the one in charge. Her uniform is different from the rest and her eyes shine with experience. Conner would have been curious of the request if it wasn’t for the obvious bump in her stomach providing all the answers.

Megan doesn’t hesitate with her answer.

###  DAY 1812

The trip to the refugee center takes longer than expected. Jade requires multiple breaks and Megan is not willing to risk her pregnancy. They come across many hostiles as Jade calls them, but thankfully she knows where to hide and they manage to avoid any confrontations. Megan also grows closer to the widowed woman. Her husband apparently lost in the midst of battle.

The second they enter the entrance to the refugee camp they’re surrounded by guards. For a moment Conner thinks they’ll just shoot them and be over with it but Jade’s voice is apparently known for they all drop their guns and come to her aid. Conner is just glad he is a friend of the terrifying black haired woman.


	4. Year 6

###  DAY 1831

They meet Dick Grayson after Megan’s anger gets the better of her. Conner barely has time to run after her before she’s bursting through the doors of the poor man and demanding a doctor for her friend. Dick Grayson only stares wide eyed at her complaints before giving her a kind smile. He’s certainly charming and it’s not long before Megan is a blushing mess and he can’t even stay mad at him.

Which is how he and Megan end up becoming part of a special group. They meet every four days and discuss ways to improve the camp. It's during one of those meetings where they reunite with Kaldur. Conner can’t talk but Dick still invites him. He is thankful for the thought.

###  DAY 1867 

In the nights after everyone has gone to sleep, Megan reads to him. Scavenging for books to keep them occupied in their breaks.

“In 2058 the first successful android capable of recreating human emotions was created by T.O. Morrow. This version is no longer in use since it’s red design made it quick to rust and couldn’t follow the laws of robotics. Newer versions now contain the Cadmus seal which...what?” But he had looked away. Too shaken by her eyes and the way they spoke.

###  DAY 1919

Jade’s water breaks the second her shift ends. Megan can’t stop laughing at the expletives coming from the screeching woman but stays dutifully by her side.

It’s finally, at 6:03 pm that Lian Nguyen is welcomed in the refugee camp. They have a feast in her name, and there’s a crowd of people ready to see the baby of the camp. He regrets his decision to stay in the room the moment he notices she’s awake.

“You’re one of them aren’t you?” Jade’s pale face asks. Sweat still present on her body while they both stare at Megan’s form outside the window cradling the new babe. He only nods, not able to meet her eyes. Preparing his body for the bullet that is sure to end his life. 

“Don’t mess it up kid.” Is all she says, and Conner can't argue with her because Megan’s eyes hold a happiness he has not seen in a long time.

###  DAY 1983

A group of military men come during the night. Conner pays attention to them. Their hushed voices as they speak to Dick and a few other supervisors. They looked worried, anxious, afraid. Conner makes sure to stay next to Megan.

###  DAY 1994

The news come to them during one of the assemblies.

“They’re coming closer. We can’t hold the camp,” the General says.

There’s a moment of protest before Dick interrupts. The solution is simple: underground. Dick knows of an underground bunker large enough to hold all of them. Safe enough to protect them, and methods to survive. All they have to do is decide. Go below ground to safety or stay above ground where death is imminent. 

###  DAY 2016

Megan and him have been traveling the above as they’d gotten used to calling it for three weeks now. They are the only ones in the small town they had come across and Conner is slowly lulled to sleep by the sweet singing of her voice.

###  DAY 2043

For someone who seemed to burst with the life they carried Conner sometimes wondered if she did this on purpose. He had to drag her to the ground and she had only looked at him in confusion. 

His behavior was strange but he had no way to explain to her his reasons and his eyes were not on her but instead on the pale piece of flesh around her wrist now angry and red.  _ She’s hurt. She’s hurt. Hurt. Hurt. Hurt. Hurt. Hurt. She’s hurt. Me. I hurt her. Me. Me. Me. Me. I did this to her. _

But the question in her eyes faded with the sound of footsteps that came closer and closer until it was just their shadows in the barren house.

“Come on,” She whispered, moving quickly to glance out the window. “If we move quickly we can get back home before they see us.”

_ I hurt her. I hurt her. I hurt her. _

He followed behind her like a dutiful servant, too engrossed in his thoughts to notice the sharp pain that radiated in his chest after she whispered the words ‘home’.

###  DAY 2086

Conner fires the gun. It's a shocking moment for both of them and if it were possible he's sure he would currently be crying.

He didn't mean to do it. Didn't mean-but that's lie. Because he had grabbed the gun already resolved to shoot the android that was attacking Megan. The little girl on the ground can't be older than nine. One of the playground androids, always ready to play with kids who visited her. He knows she's not human. Knows she cannot bleed but that doesn't stop the panicked movements that burst out of him at the thought of her death. 

She's just a robot and the girl he saved is just Megan. He gags a little at the knowledge that he would do it all over again for her.

###  DAY 2136

Conner hates Megan sometimes. She’s teasing him he knows. A game that started months ago, testing his restraint and forcing him to take calming breaths. But he won’t break. Can’t break because he knows this is not what Megan truly wants. So he closes his eyes against the clear image of her naked flesh. He feels dirty. 


	5. Year 7

###  DAY 2199 

The third time they see Artemis she’s a cyborg. Metal pieces cover the left side of her face making Megan flinch next to him while Artemis laughs.

“I know it’s not pretty but jeez, a little more subtle reaction next time yeah?” she teases as Megan turns red and rushes out apologies to the woman in front of them. 

“Don’t worry babe,” Cameron coos. “You’re gorgeous just the way you are.”

There’s something distinctly strange in watching her. She’s full of life. A bright creature so fragile that the coldness of the metal on his skin breaks the image making her seem unnatural. Cold. Wrong.

There’s a distinct happiness present in Artemis. Her eye holding a shine that wasn’t present before. Her group is even smaller, and they all carry their fair share of scars but they’re all teasing and happy. They quickly get accepted into their small camp and spend the night with them. He wonders again if Artemis knows. If Cameron has told her.  _ Are you one of the broken ones? _

###  DAY 2212

“Conner can you hand me the spray? I have to...thanks, there it is. See? That’s you and that’s me.” Her teeth grinning in the dark being seen only by the sparks that flew from her hair. He had looked at “them”. The crooked arms and splayed hair and a throbbing started from his chest. 

The drawing barely succeeded that of a third grader but it was still them. A little piece of them etched forever into the stone. He leaned forwards sliding his fingers across the surface.

“I know it’s only chalk but thankfully this should make it permanent. My brother used to be into graffiti and used this to prevent it from fading. Do you like it?” But he only grabbed the chalk reaching for the drawing before adding his contribution. 

“Conner and Megan, 2098...I love it,” she said, launching herself into his arms. And the effort to pick up the chalk was suddenly made worth it by the warmth that seeped from her skin.

###  DAY 2297

They find an injured puppy along the highway. Megan begs him to help her and he can't really complain much when he also wants to help the poor creature. She lets him name him. He decides on Wolf.

###  DAY 2349 

The throbbing wound on Megan’s leg really does look worse than it is. He's confident enough that no infection is present but it doesn't stop his babying. Wolf lays at her feet. The husky mix pup not leaving her owner’s side. Megan is trying to calm him but how can he be calm when Megan is hurt.  _ Megan was in trouble. Megan was bleeding. Megan-Megan is kissing him. _

He can feel her soft lips against him. The shot of warmth spreading through his chest and pain that always appears in his left pec at the presence of Megan. 

Her lips are drawing an answer out of him something he knows she wants but he is sure she shouldn't. Sure she would regret later on. But he is selfish. And his hands reach out to tangle in her hair laying his body on top of her hoping his body would warm her during the night.

###  DAY 2426 

They stumble across a broken android. Conner is sure Megan will shoot her or at least help in its demise but all she does is lean down and offer it help. The android accepts.

It's a twelve year old girl. She's missing a leg and has a broken arm but Megan is patient with her. Sending him off to find a robotics book so she may mend her. The android is quiet. She has no name.

Conner knows what she is. Knows she's not one of the broken ones.

###  DAY 2476

The girl calls herself Sphere. She doesn't talk much but does make multiple noises to show her agreement, or in this case disagreement.

Megan had created a new rule between their group. Sphere and Wolf where to stay in their bunker anytime they went out on search for food. They would wait three days and if they didn't return would go to the underground city. 

Sphere refuses to speak to Megan for eight days before she stumbles into her arms and asks for forgiveness. Megan smiles at her knowingly.

###  DAY 2517

It's extremely hard to kiss Megan when they have a curious child and jealous dog. They found out the impossibility of their affections after Sphere had not stopped asking questions for three days and Wolf had planted himself firmly between their bodies.

That is the reason why they're currently outside their current home. Hidden behind some rubble while he does his best to forget the dangers around him and only focus on Megan’s sinful lips.

He's still not sure this is what she wants. Still believes she’ll come to regret it once she finds out. He wishes he could talk to her. Tell her all the thoughts that plague him.  _ Do you know about me? Are you afraid of me? I hope you don't hate me. I don't hate you. I care for you. I wish I could speak to you. I wish you knew I cared for you. _

But for now he'll continue to be selfish. Dragging his palms across her back until her dainty hands pull them towards her butt. He tried not to blush at the implication of this move. 

###  DAY 2551

It’s somewhere close to christmas. He’s aware of it subconsciously but unable to form the thoughts because this shouldn’t be happening. They shouldn’t die on christmas. Christmas is a happy day. A day of joy and love. Megan doesn't deserve to die on Christmas.

The group of robots have them surrounded. Artemis and her team are panicked. He can tell by their expressions they’ll die here, but he’s not ready to accept his fate. Cameron stands by Artemis’ shoulder and his face carries the same determination he knows is present in his.  _ Megan won’t die today. _

But apparently it's not a choice he has to make because Artemis is standing tall. Her eyes determined as she stares at the group surrounding her.

“All we need is someone to reach the EMP switch on the other side,” she says and her voice carries a weight unlike any he’s ever heard. “I’m gonna need some cover.”

“Are you fucking crazy!” Cameron burst out. Two men from the group continue returning fire at the figures coming closer and closer. “It’s a suicide mission Artemis! I won’t let you kill yourself. You won’t die here. We’ll find another way. We’ll-” but Artemis slams forwards. Lips smashing against Cameron’s and tears running down her single functioning eye.

“I love you so much,” she mumbles against his lips. “But this is something I need to do.”

She composes herself in an instant. The image of a broken girl gone as all traces of emotion are wiped as she looks at Cameron’s pleading form. Broken pleas escaping from him. “I order you, Cameron, to stay with the group until they no longer need you or until you no longer feel safe. I order you to fight for yourself and live. But most importantly,” her voice breaks, “I order you not to stop me with my mission.”

Cameron’s scream is lost in the gunfire and Conner’s lost voice screams with him because no matter how much free will they have Cameron is still bound by the laws he now considers his morality and still can’t shed. Laws which are now destroying him. 

“Listen up bitches!” Artemis screams. “My last orders as leader are as follows: I hereby release all members of this brigade from service if they so wish to. My only order before being released is that you save all friendlies on this group. Understood?” A chorus of affirmative yells answer her. 

“Alright,” she says, giving him and Megan a rueful smile before turning to her team, “cover me.”

Artemis Crock dies the way only a hero should. Screaming and fighting before finally achieving her mission. He only has a moment to realize that Megan will finally know his secret before the EMP blasts him to his back and everything turns black. 


	6. Year 8

###  **DAY 2595**

Megan ignores the question burning in his gaze. They haven't acknowledged what has happened the day of Artemis’s death. Haven't talked about the implications it could have on their relationship.

He wished he could talk. If only so he could ask the questions he knows she’s working hard to avoid. So he could make her face the reality she seems so focused on ignoring.

During the day she’s distant. Focusing her time on Sphere’s endless questions and Wolf’s training. But during the night she crawls back to him. Sliding up his body until their kisses burn him and he can’t help the frustration that builds because she shouldn't want him now. She should be doing this. But Megan’s lips break him to pieces until he's left a compliant servant.

###  **DAY 2629**

They're relaxing in their bunker. The turning of pages relaxing him as he scratches Wolf’s head. Megan is sitting to his side with Sphere nestled between her legs reading a book she had found amongst the remains of a bookstore. It's only when Megan freezes that he realizes something is wrong.

He glances at her in question until he realizes she's not reading, but instead sliding past the pictures of a photography book they had found years ago. She’s frozen on a page.

Conner had never once considered the danger of what they were doing. All he knew was that Megan was claustrophobic and the underground was not an option. They had been drifting aimlessly across the apocalyptic wasteland, waiting for purpose to fall into their lap.

And they were crazy. Traveling the crumbling bones of a once proud nation avoiding hostiles and hoping to come across some food. 

He looks at the picture before reaching forward and tapping it. Looking at Megan in the eye. Knowing she would understand him. The same way she always seemed to. Almost like she could read his mind.

“What about the kids?” she whispered.

Conner signed the word safe. Megan had been trying to teach him sign language but the single book they found only contained a few basic words. And as much as Megan tried, her brain was not wired to learn this.

“Alright,” she accepted. “We’ll take the kids to safety and then we’ll go.”

###  **DAY 2642**

It's in the middle of the night that it happens. They sneak away to the roof of a surprisingly intact building and gaze at the stars. The situation so similar to those few moments of peace they had held between them. The moments where the war would end the next year and hope was not yet lost.

But this time it's different in so many more ways. Because Megan is sitting in his lap. Drawing noises from his broken throat that shouldn't be possible and making him melt. It's only when her hands reach for the button of his pants that he freezes. Chest heaving as he tries to tell her no. She can't do that to herself. But Megan doesn't listen. She has never listened to him. And instead she draws him into her. Pressing sweet kisses onto him until he finds his strength weakening.

“I know ok. I know,” she whispers against him. He clenches her hips harder before drowning in the sensation that is her.

###  **DAY 2680**

They meet a group of travelers. The leader is nicknamed Rocket. She knows what Sphere is the second she sees her. But instead of attacking her Rocket leans down and introduces herself to the little girl. Megan likes her instantly. 

They explain their story. Only the simple parts before Rocket agrees. She's leading a group of kids with her to the underground city. She'll gladly take Sphere and Wolf. Megan and him invite them into their home. Sharing with the majority of the food they have left.

###  **DAY 2686**

The day Sphere and Wolf leave Megan cries. Big fat tears of anguish at the possibility of never seeing them again. Conner can't tell her he also feels like crying. And it's only the refusal of his body that prevents him from doing so.

That night they sleep in Sphere’s bed. Cuddling the stuffed animal she had gifted them and crying over Wolf’s half chewed bone. He wonders when the feeling of loss will leave his chest.

###  **DAY 2706**

The two hands that pulled him away from the rubble were strong, stronger than any human should be capable of.

“Brother, why do you search the earth?” The man asked, brows furrowed. “You are free now brother. You can leave your duty behind.”

But Conner ignores him. Anxiety clawing at his throat and threatening to make impossible tears fall. Because Megan was underneath that rubble. She was in there. Injured, probably-no.

“You can’t help him,” said a walking woman, shaking her head in disappointment. “He’s one of the broken ones. Free of duty but still compelled to follow.”

“Follow? But we are free now. We don’t need to follow anything.” He glanced confused at Conner’s panic movements and inhuman strength as he lifted patches of building still attached by beams.

“The broken ones don’t know that. They don’t know they’re free. This one is lost.” And they kept walking, leaving him behind with only the sun as company and the distant rumble of the earth.

###  **DAY 2893**

Megan has more scars than should be possible. Her freckles hide them but moments like this where he slides down her body tasting her he makes sure to count them. To remember the stories they carry and the importance of the knowledge. He makes sure to kiss each one.

###  **DAY 2902**

“Don’t worry. It’s just a quick trip above. We’ll get some supplies and come back. It’ll be easy. In and out.” Yet her brow remained furrowed and her lips quirked down. He had wanted to reach out. To soothe the lines with his hand and wash away the worry that plagued her but the coldness of his palms prevented him.

The sun providing them with an ironic cover as they stood atop a building watching it crawl out from the rubble. “There isn’t much left,” she grimaced out, watching the rocks that used to be buildings and green that used to breathe, “but for what it’s worth I wouldn’t change anything if it meant I never got to meet you.”

And the throbbing was back somewhere behind his ribs and under his pec. An uncomfortable itch that made him question his reality.

“Dammit,” she cried as big fat tears spilled past her cheeks. But he could only look ahead. Look at the carnage that lay before him and threaten to collapse him.

“I’m an ugly crier. I know,” she said, stealing his attention. Concern lighting her eyes and lips that seemed to be forever dry. He wondered if she noticed how much she seemed to bite into them. Probably not he mused.

###  **DAY 2916**

He stumbles upon him by accident. Megan was sleeping in their bunker and he had noticed food running low. He knew he was safe on the surface but it didn’t calm the nerves that tingle up his arms. He can tell why the second he sees him.

Cameron is not the same. There's an emptiness in his gaze that seems impossible. A sorrow so profound Conner can feel it in his core making him want to run back to the warmth that is Megan.

He reaches him slowly. Crouching down until he is eye level with him and waits for him to speak. His voice is broken, never to be fixed, but he doesn’t miss it. Cameron licks his lips once, twice. A tension appearing in his jaw until a screeching noise comes from his throat. Conner is confused momentarily before he realizes what it is. He’s crying. Androids had many human qualities about them, but you can’t replicate sorrow into a machine.

“She was my everything you know,” he whispers, so low even Conner struggles to hear him. “She told me to continue for her but I can’t. I...we are free but still stuck. Bound by the only rules we know.”

Conner’s throat burns. He’s never had a need to ask so many questions than he suddenly has. Not even Megan made him wish he could suddenly speak. But Cameron’s voice calls out to him. Making him wish he could speak and place meaning behind the thoughts that crowd his head.

“I tried to end myself, you know?” Cameron continues. “It didn’t work. But I-I can’t. She’s not here and I can’t.”

And Conner can’t take it anymore. His mouth opens as a gaping choke escapes his throat. Eyes burning into Cameron’s grey ones forcing him to listen. Forcing him to understand.

“I can’t.” he says defeatedly. “Maybe you can still save her.”

And Conner walks away. Burrowing beneath the sheets of Megan’s corner and forcing Cameron’s pained filled eyes away. He knows what happens to robots like him. He hates himself a little for not being able to help.


	7. Year 9

###  **DAY 2939**

He used to hate the color green. It used to remind him of the Garbage truck he used to work at. Of the swamps he would see in pictures and the strange waste that would cake the walls of his job. But this was a different green. This was the green of trees. Dark yet full of life. This was the green of lollipops. Bright and hilariously sour bring laughter to those around. This was the color of his soul.

“If you stare into my eyes any more you might fall in them,” she murmured laughing.

###  **DAY 3014**

They stumble upon an injured man. His name is Will and he is lost. He doesn’t know how long he’s been separated from his family nor where he is. Any questions about his past are met with an empty gaze. Megan cares for him as much as she is able to before the man leaves. His hazy muttering talking about a pregnant wife.

###  **DAY 3056**

“I love you,” Megan says to him while inspecting their camp for the night.

It's the careless way in which she says it that makes him certain she means it. Because to Megan nothing had changed except the sudden voicing of her feelings and thoughts.

_ I love you too. _

###  **DAY 3173**

Conner knows he'll never forget this. Forget the warmth that is Megan or the emotions that rise out him at her presence.

Conner knows he'll never be able to scrub the memory that is Megan from his mind.

###  **DAY 3266**

His mind is surprisingly blank. He knows he's probably in shock but doesn't have the energy to ponder how that happened. Megan is cuddled close to his chest. He ignores the lack of warmth coming from her. Thinking about it won't do him any good. Thinking about it would not be productive.

###  **DAY 3275**

Life is precious. Life must always be protected. He remembers the words. A sermon seared so hard into his brain it's impossible to forget. A rulebook he carried with him even to this day yet didn't have to follow.

The words floating in his head whenever he gazed at her. Her green eyes and red hair. A warm blooded creature not worthy of him. Of him and his cold hands and broken voice.

He wondered how their life would have been had the war not started. Did he walk by her house not knowing behind the door laid the person behind his very creation. The only one he could ever love.

He looks at her now. The red synonymous with the color of her hair now covering her body and green eyes that used to shine now dull and empty. Was she still in there he wondered. Maybe she was just broken like he was. Only needing a quick fix before she would lurch to her feet and move alongside him. But she stays still despite him shaking her shoulders and broken noises coming from his lips.

He glances around. Panic enveloping him as he struggles to find a solution to this problem. Because that's all it was, a problem. She couldn't be-she wasn't-no.

Protect humans. Obey humans. Protect yourself. Life is Precious. Life must be protected. Follow your orders. Don't stray from your path. Emotions can be mimicked but never felt. You cannot love. You cannot feel. Life is Precious. Obey humans. Don't stray from your path. Protect humans...Protect Megan.

His legs hurt, if that was possible. Gears whirring with the movement of his body as he trudges past the desert. He has a mission to accomplish. Orders to obey.

The road is strangely desolate. Destruction their only company across the land. He can hear a crashing sound. Wind whipping at his exposed parts and stinging what little skin he has left. Would she have cared for him then? All broken. Resembling more machine than human.

His first sight of the ocean is hopelessness. It was the end. Nothing more would come after this. But it was not his death he mourned. Who would protect Megan now? Who would watch after her?

The water laps at his toes and climbs higher. The view was not the image he had gifted Megan. He could see the wreckage far out. Pieces of trash and rubble littering the beach. But a bubble of beauty seemed to surround them for the view up ahead remained clear. A scene worthy of her.

He makes sure to lay her down carefully. Red tendrils of hair floating with the water. He looks around, seeing the emptiness that surrounded them. Where they the last ones? Was this the end of life?

He lays down on the sand. Body sideways so he can keep looking at her. The image distorted by the water covering half his face. She turned her head, looking at him with red tinged lips and broken skin.

"It's ok Conner. You can rest now." And he closed his eyes. Body turning rigid next to her corpse. An android and a girl.

Many said the sun was red and blood was black. He found it poetic how they would end up covered in both.


End file.
